As much as I enjoy watching (and playing) smashing attacks in the Jerome mode, I have to (again) warn defenders, out of a sense of fairness, that the following defense amounts to too much of a bad thing.
funnycrimes - MaxMBJ
blitz, FICS, 2013
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.O-O Na5
Black's move is provocative, especially when combined with 3...h6 ("like walking around with a Kick Me! sign pinned to the seat of your pants..." see "A Hot Rocket to Oblivion"). The "Jerome Treatment" is clearly recommended.
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke8
Technically better is 6... Ke6, but Black's game would still be clearly worse.
7.Qh5+ g6
Looking this line up in The Database, only 3 of the 15 defenders (including this game) found this move; alas, all of them lost, anyhow.
On the other hand, 11 of the 12 players who chose an alternate 7th move lost as well (White blundered his Queen in the one Black win).
Here are the sordid details:
7...Ke7 8.Ng6+
(Or 8.Qf7+ Kd6 9. Qd5+ [9.d4 Nc6 10. Nc4#, aghamal - muchpain, blitz, FICS, 2012] 9...Ke7 10.Ng6+ [10.Qxa5, Black resigned, KeepuHonest - Barnetme, blitz, FICS, 2012; or 10.Qf7+ Kd6 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Ng6+ White won by ajudication, JoeDemir - dogbrother, blitz, FICS, 2010] 10...Ke8 [10...Kf6 11.Nxh8 c6 12.e5+ Ke7 13. Qf7#, aldac - anesh, blitz, FICS, 2011] 11.Nxh8 Qg5 [11...Nc6 12.Qf7#, rosti - carifano, blitz, FICS, 2010] 12.Qf7+ Kd8 13. Qxf8#, comport - khemosabi, blitz, FICS, 2013})
8...Ke8
(8...Ke6 9.Qf5+ Kd6 10. Qd5#, perrypawnpusher - TheTrueDamaBlanca, blitz, FICS, 2009; or 8...Kd6 9. e5+ [9. Nxh8 Kc6 {9... Nc4 10. Nf7+, Black resigned, bartab - VeniceOdyssey, standard, FICS, 2011} 10.Qxa5 b6 11.Qd5#, albertpak - khemosabi, blitz, FICS, 2013; or 9. Qe5+ Kc6 10.Qd5+ Kb6 11.d3 Nf6 12.Be3+ c5 13.Qf5 d6 14.d4 Bxf5 15.dxc5+ dxc5 16.exf5 Rg8 17.b4 Nc6 18.Nd2 Ka6 19.bxc5 Bxc5 20.Bxc5 Qxd2 21.Rab1 b6 22.Be3 Qxc2 23.Rfc1 Qe4 24.Rxc6 Qxc6 25.Ne7 Qc2 26.Rc1 Qxa2 27.Nxg8 Nxg8 28.g4 Nf6 29.h3 Kb7 30.g5 hxg5 31.Bxg5 Ne4 32.Be3 Rc8 33.Rxc8 Kxc8 34.Kg2 Qd5 35.f3 Qa2+ 36.Kf1 Ng3+ 37.Ke1 Qe2#, valiantknight - Monkee, blitz, FICS, 2000] 9...Kc6 10.Nxh8 b6 11.Qf3+ Kb5 12.Qxa8 Bb7 13.Qxd8,
Black resigned, duvvisreedhar - khemosabi, blitz, FICS, 2011) or
(8... Kf6 9.Qf5#, balix - luccass, blitz, FICS, 2012)
9.Nxh8+ g6 10. Qxg6+ Ke7 11. Qf7+ Kd6 12. Qd5+ Ke7 13. Qe5#, Houdini.
8.Qxg6+
Here Black resigned in ghostshadowrook - VeniceOdyssey, standard, FICS, 2011.
8...Ke7 9.Qf7+
White proceeds with a clear plan. For those who want something
more complicated, Houdini recommends 9.Nc3 c6 10.b3 Qe8 11.Ba3+ Kd8 12.Nf7+ Qxf7 13.Qxf7.
analysis diagram
9...Kd6 10.Qd5+ Ke7 11.Ng6+
Or 11.Qxa5 d6 12.Ng6+ Ke8 13.Nxh8 Qf6 14.Qh5+ Ke7 15.Ng6+ Kd7 16.Nxf8+ Qxf8 17.Qf5+ Kd8 18.Qxf8+ Kd7 19.Qxg8 Kc6 20.Qc4+ Black resigned, Divtwo - HotCaldron, FICS, 2010
11...Ke8
Not much better is 11...Kf6 12.Nxh8 Kg7 13.Qxa5 Kxh8
12. Nxh8 b6 13.Qf7 checkmate
Sometimes I will play a game, and be happy with it: I put on the pressure, my opponent cracked.
Then I will turn the game over to Rybka and see what the computer program has to say. About the following game, it suggested that I played so poorly, my opponent probably cracked up laughing, and as a result lost his focus and lost...
perrypawnpusher - bartab
standard, FICS, 2012
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+
The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.
5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Nc6 9.Qd3
Bill Wall has taken a look at 9.Qc4+, and maybe I should, too: 9...Kf8 (9...Ke8 10.Bg5 (10.0-0 Na5 11.Qa4 b6 12.e5 Ng4 13.Qxg4 h6 14.Qxg7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Donavan, Chess.com 2010) 10...h6 11.Bh4 g5 12.Bg3 d6 13.0-0-0 Qe7 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Ne5 16.Qc3 Qg7 17.Rhe1 Kd8 18.Bxe5 dxe5 19.Rxe5 Qd7 20.d6 c6 21.Rf5 Re8 22.Qf6+ Re7 23.dxe7+ Ke8 24.Qf7# Wall,B - Firewoods, Chess.com 2010) 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 d6 12.0-0-0 Bg4 13.f3 Bd7 14.Nd5 Be6 15.Rhe1 Bxd5 16.exd5 Na5 17.Qd3 g5 18.Bf2 c6 19.Bd4 Rh7 20.Bxf6 Qxf6 21.Qxh7 Black resigned, Wall,B - Jag, Chess.com 2010
9...Re8
Or 9...Ng4 10.Bf4 Nge5 11.Bg3 Nxd3+ White resigned, perrypawnpusher - anandh, blitz, FICS 2011.
Better, yet, might be 9...d5 10.Nxd5 Nxe4.
10.Bg5
A bit better was 10.0-0, as in perrypawnpusher - Duir, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 42).
10...h6
Missing the shot 10...Nxe4!?
11.Bxf6 Qxf6 12.0-0 Re5
Perhaps with the idea of shifting the Rook to the Kingside for attack, but this looks like asking for trouble.
13.f4 Re7 14.Nd5
It was either this move, or the positional 14.e5, with pressure against Black's d-pawn, which, in turn, confines Black's light-squared Bishop. Of course, after the game, Rybka preferred 14.e5 over the text.
14...Qd6
The safe play was ...Qd4+, exchanging Queens, either right away, or after 14...Qxb2 15.Rab1
15.Qc4 Re6
Planning to block the Queen's check, but sounding a lot like "Trouble, please."
16.Nxc7
Am I the only person who did not see 16.f5 Kg8 (16...Re5 17.Nb6+ Kf8 18.Nxa8 Rc5 19.Qd3) 17.fxe6 dxe6 ?
16...Qxc7 17.f5 Ne5
Perhaps my opponent was laughing too hard at my play to see 17...Kg8 18.fxe6 dxe6 with an edge to Black.
In any event, he missed something.
18.fxe6+ Ke7 19.Qxc7 Black resigned
That was not so much "funny, ha ha" as "funny, strange".
A general warning can be made as this year comes to a close, and another year prepares to open itself up to us: Those who do not remember (and prepare for) the "Jerome Gambit (or similar) experience" are quite likely doomed to repeat it...
bartab - VeniceOdyssey
standard, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6
The Semi-Italian Opening.
4.0-0 Na5
I probably said all I needed to say about this move in "Asterisk" earlier this year, but some things bear repeating. (Especially since that earlier post contained a game with the same variation as today's game, and Black, who lost in that earlier game, is the same player who loses today.)
It seems fair to describe this move as being "Like walking around with a Kick Me! sign pinned to the seat of your pants..." as I did in "A Hot Rocket to Oblivion". The game provides "Too much 'shock and awe' or something..." as I said in "Bully".
It is interesting to note that bartab played (and lost) a similar, earlier game (0-1, 36) against the same opponent which saw 3...Na5 4.Bxf7+, but which did not include the further-weakening ...h6. In the current game, bartab demonstrates the difference a move makes.
5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke8
If, instead, 6...Ke6, then 7.Qh5 is a good response.
7.Qh5+ Ke7
Interposing the g-pawn does not help much: 7...g6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Nc3 c6, etc.
8.Ng6+ Kd6
There is no relief in going "home": 8...Ke8 9.Nxh8+ g6 10.Qxg6+ Ke7 11.Qf7+ Kd6 12.Qd5+ Ke7 13.Qe5 checkmate
9.Nxh8
The Reader might be thinking "Okay, you win your way, I'll win my way..." An alternative to the text move was 9.Qd5 checkmate.
9...Nc4 10.Nf7+ Black resigned
To add insult, Black will lose his Queen.
The following Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit re-visits an interesting defensive idea first touched upon in "Starting Over". Black's King does not greedily wander to d4 (or e4) grabbing material; instead, an interesting pawn clash takes center stage.
bartab - JackalDeOur
standard game, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6
6.c3 d6
An interesting alternative to the recommended 6...Kxe5.
7.cxd4 dxe5
In my game vs ozypawnstar, I mentioned Rybka's recommendation of 8.dxe5 Qd3 here. Given more time to think, the computer also likes 8.Qb3+ Ke7 9.dxe5, which is answered by the similar 9...Qd4; after 10.Nc3 c6 the game is about even. (There is trouble ahead for Black with 10...Qxe5 11.d4 Qxd4 12.Bg5+ Nf6 13.0-0.)
8.d5+ Ke7
A bit better is 8...Kf7 as in Jefersondsouza - Zeddyzeddy, FICS 2011 (0-1, 51).
After ozypawnstar's 8...Kd6 I continued similarly to bartab with 9.d4, in perrypawnpusher - ozypawnstar, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 29)
9.d4 Qd6
10.dxe5 Qxe5 11.Nd2 Nf6 12.0-0 Bg4
Black is developing quickly and pressuring White's pawn center. White's response is natural, but Rybka prefers 13.Qb3.
13.f3 Bh5
Played too quickly. With 13...Qd4+ the second player could have shifted his Queen out of danger; and then retreated his Bishop to d7.
14.Nc4
Black's Queen is trapped in the middle of the board.
14...Bxf3
A little bit "better" (but still losing) was 14...Qxe4 15.Re1 Qxe1+.
15.Rxf3 Qh5 16.d6+
Crashing through in the center.
16...Kd7 17.dxc7+ Kxc7
18.e5
This works, but adding a couple of pieces to the attack with 18.Bf4+ Kc8 19.Rc1 was more ferocious.
18...Ng4 19.Rh3 Bc5+ 20.Be3 Bxe3+ 21.Nxe3 Nxe3
A slip, but 21...Qxe5 22.Nxg4 would still leave him a piece down.
22.Qc1+ Kb8 23.Rxh5 Black resigned
